I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fabric fasteners such as those used to secure draperies, furniture covers, cushion covers, towels, bedding and the like. More specifically, the present invention provides fasteners which are aesthetically acceptable, do not damage fabrics with which the fasteners are employed, and which are highly effective to secure fabric items in place.
II. Related Art
One problem well-known to homeowners and hotel, staff members is the difficulty associated with retaining a comforter in place inside a duvet cover. The comforter and duvet cover will move relative to each other making it difficult to make the bed on which the comforter and duvet cover are employed.
Various attempts have been made to address this problem. For example, ribbons have been sewn to the inside of the duvet covers at the corners. These ribbons may be used to tie the corresponding corners of the comforter and duvet cover together. This is not an easy task because it often requires turning the duvet cover inside out to perform the task of tying the ribbons. Also, over a relatively short period of time the ribbons tend to become untied requiring the laborious tying process to be repeated. To launder the duvet cover or comforter, the ribbons must, of course, be untied to decouple the duvet cover from the comforter. The tying operation must be repeated once laundering is completed. Other fasteners have been developed to address this problem in other ways, but these tend to be unacceptable from an aesthetic standpoint or difficult to use.
Wedding planners use fabrics in many different ways to decorate wedding and reception venues. Fabrics are not only used to clothe the wedding party, but also as draperies, table linens, chair and seat covers, canopies, swags and the like. Rooms are often decorated differently for each wedding held. There is a real need for devices which are decorative and may be quickly and easily employed to shape and securely retain such items in place without damaging the fabric or items to which the fabric is attached. This same need exists with respect to home and other commercial decorating efforts.
Outdoor activities for example, camping and ice fishing) often involve the use of tents or other temporary shelters made of tarps or other fabrics attached to a frame. Advantages can be derived by employing quick, inexpensive, easy-to-carry and simple attachment devices to couple the fabric to the frame without damage to the fabric.